


Happy Birthday, Secretary Nagi!

by skiestintedorange



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles X
Genre: Birthday Party, Friendship, Gen, Gen Work, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 01:22:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8824513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skiestintedorange/pseuds/skiestintedorange
Summary: It's Nagi's 58th birthday and he is in for a surprise.





	

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing any of these characters and for Xenoblade, please go gentle with me. I accept criticism just please think of my feelings.

Nagi hated birthdays.

Well, not hated, hate was too strong of a word. But he wasn't overly fond of them, at the least. Sure, he didn't mind attending a friend's party and having a good time (he wasn't that old yet). It just was... depressing. To know you were getting older and older. Death didn't frighten him, it never had, not really. Not for himself. He worried more for the safety of others and their mortality. That was his one of his top concerns. He knew too well what it felt to lose loved ones and the pain and guilt that came with it. He never wanted to feel those feelings again.

But worst of all...

He didn't want to think that one day he might be just another old man, unable to fight, to do the things he was capable of now. Unable to keep his position. In a way, he had come to like fighting, enjoy it, even. The feeling of adrenaline coursing through his body, the feeling he was changing the world, saving it, making a difference. Nothing could beat that, nor the sleep that came afterwards. To think one day he would be able to feel that rush of energy. Those were the things that frightened him more deeply than any ugly, bastard that wanted to kill him. To think he might not one day... _no_ , it didn't bear thinking about. He didn't need to think about it. _Worrying won't change anything_ , he scolded himself, he could hear Elma say the same thing to him.

Time seemed to fly faster these days, it seemed like the past year had passed just as it began. He was now 58 years old. Strange, he felt no different than he had on his 30th birthday, only more mature emotionally.

He looked at his wallclock, it's digital numbers blaring at him in the late afternoon. 5:30, it read. He had managed to get through today and would soon go home, well, not home, to enjoy a brief moment of reprieve from the violence. It was for the best he hadn't received any well wishes or happy birthdays. He sighed, still, it might've been nice to go to a party and play some games or such. He stopped himself from going down that road. _Silly_ , he thought, _how you can want something but at the same time, not_.

He was in a gloomy mood as he headed to the exit, get a ride home to his BLADE issued quarters. They were nice quarters, he had no reason to complain about them, they had most of the comforts of home, only with access to weapons in case of an emergency, which hopefully would not occur tonight. He had spent a sleepless night already that week and he just wanted some food and sleep. He wasn't sure in which order.

What he expected to find was his empty quarters, darkened by the closing of the day, an empty but clean living area.

What he wasn't expecting was to be greeted by an extremely loud and offkey chorus to 'Happy Birthday'. It seemed that none of them knew exactly how the song was supposed to sound as they all were using a different melody. Lin made it far too fast and peppy and Elma was so offkey it was hard to tell what tune she was using, Cross made it sound like a funeral hymn. Gwin sounded like a dying dog, Irina looked like she was just mouthing the words, Hope was on tune and had a rather nice, but soft voice. Tatsu was making a noise that he could only assume was singing. 

Needless to say, all put together is was far too loud and... frankly, _horrible_. 

He winced but remained calm otherwise. He didn't want to hurt their feelings. It was a nice thought, if way too much. He noticed that they had brought in a table and on it was a birthday cake. It looked perfectly edible, it had vanilla icing, on it was purple roses and green thorns. _Lin must've made this_ , he realized suddenly, his eyes burning slightly. Embarrassed, he recited an inward mantra of, one, two, three, be calm, be cool. Taking a deep breath, he looked at it, his mind calm again, as well as his emotions in place. Lin had iced, rather clumsily in comparison to her frosting roses, "Happy birthday!" in purple icing. There were cups and plates and forks and he wondered just how long they had planned this, if it had been a spur of the day sort of party, or a party they planned at measure.

He realized that the room had fallen silent and looked up to everyone looking at him, Lin grinning happily.

"Happy birthday!" Gwin said, waving his hand at him.

"Do you like the cake?" Lin asked, moving closer to him. "I made the cake myself!"

"Tatsu helped!" Tatsu chimed in.

"Did not! You only licked the spoon!" Lin retorted.

"Okay, okay, I think we should let Secretary Nagi speak... it's his birthday, after all." Hope said, looking a bit abashed at speaking up.

Lin and Tatsu quietened down, although Lin looked a bit aggravated still. Honestly, Nagi was speechless. _Battle_? He was good at that. _Strategy_? _Yeah, good at that, too_. Gifts for him and parties thrown for him? Now that was something he was learning to navigate. _Should I give a speech that is overly emotional? Should I thank them stoically? Keeping in their mind their stern and respectful image of me?_ His mind whirled with possibilities and he was well aware they were all looking at him, waiting for his response.

Irina spoke first, "Hey, I think Nagi's tongue got ate by a cat." she joked, a smirk on her face.

Tatsu squealed in fright, "Tatsu hopes you're joking!" 

"Of course she is," Cross said quickly. "It's just a figure of speech."

Tatsu calmed down just as Nagi cleared his throat, having made up his mind. Everyone's eyes turned back to him.

"Everyone... I just want to... thank you all for all of this. You didn't have to and;" he raised a hand when Lin opened her mouth, "I know you wanted to, but still, there was no need. I didn't expect you all to throw me a party and I am thankful." he finished lamely.

Everyone was silent for a moment and then Gwin said, "Aw, damn, was hoping you'd cry a bit, just for drama."

Irina rolled her eyes and moved aside, as Elma strode towards Nagi, a brightly colored ( _slime green_?) small, square gift in her hands.

"Lin wrapped the gift, but we all chipped in to buy it." Elma said, her tone oddly serious in comparison to her smile.

He reached out and awkwardly took it, (it was very light) his hands sweaty from nerves he had thought he had calmed. Slowly, he began to undo the tape (where had Lin gotten such an outdated item?) and peel away the paper, he saw something black. He furrowed his brow and began to tear the paper off faster. When it was all off, he realized he was holding a small black box. There was a golden keyhole. He looked up in confusion.

"It's locked," he said stupidly.

"Yes, but here's the key," Lin said happily, handing him a golden key. "Open it!"

He inserted the key and turned it, the lid popped up, and as he opened the lid all the way, he was greeted by a glimmer of gold and red. Inside of the box was a golden ring, with what appeared to be rubies encrusted in it. He had never been given something so costly and beautiful by anyone in his life. His parents hadn't been able to afford such things. Nor had he had anyone romantically in his life who would give him such a thing in the first place. None of his friends had either. Not til now. 

"I... " he started, his tone sounding weak and confused and over emotional to his own ears. "I... I don't know what to say... "

"Don't say anything, silly, put it on!" Lin said.

Cross said, "Hey, yeah! We wanna see it!"

Irina rolled her eyes again but she secretly wanted him to as well.

With a shaking hand he reached out and picked it up. It was even lovelier up close. He usually thought things like these of little value and pointless accessories of wealth and bragging. But this was different. This hadn't been given to make a statement about wealth or class. It had been given as a sign of friendship. Which seemed overly sentimental and ridiculous, if the logical part of him took a moment to think about. But it seemed his heart had taken over him currently.

He slipped the ring on, and held it up, so that it sparkled in the light of his house. Hope sighed and Tatsu made a squealing sort of noise.

Gwin spoke up, "I thought a ring would be a great idea cause we've got plenty of those, but rings like that aren't something you get or see a lot of."

Nagi looked at the ring for a moment longer before turning his eyes back to their expectant faces.

"Thank you, really, thank you. I... I honestly am at a loss for words." he said, Elma placed a reluctant hand on his back, it was clear from the look on her face that she rarely did such things.

"We wanted you to know how much we care about you and that you are a valued member of BLADE." Hope said, her eyes averted, but still smiling.

Tatsu and Lin went back over to the table and Lin picked up a rather large knife, "So, does anyone want a slice of this cake or hear a speech?" 

"Lin!" Cross muttered, glancing over at Nagi, but Nagi shook his head.

"I think, Cross, that Lin has the right idea." he said, right as his stomach growled, causing Irina and Gwin to snicker.

* * *

 

Nagi thought, later that night as he lay in bed, looking at the box he had just sat on his bedside table, that maybe birthdays were good and that growing older was inevitable, but as long as he had a team and friends like these, who cared?


End file.
